Lesson #6 – Pay the Price

The prices–or what you have to invest or give up– are not always so obvious and, in fact, are often hidden. If you don’t know the price, it’s usually higher than you want to pay. There is no free lunch. There are prices to be paid for doing your business successfully or in making a relationship work.

There are people I know who want to be financially independent. I always ask them, “How much are you willing to pay for your financial independence?”

When I press for a specific amount of money, they sometimes squirm a bit. The problem is they want a huge return–financial independence–without having to pay for it.

Be willing to pay the price, because often times the cost of not doing something is hidden AND far more expensive.

In addition, many times we think there is a price for achieving success that isn’t there or isn’t as high or hard to pay as we thought. Many times I have heard people say, “I don’t want to become rich or super successful because I wouldn’t be able to spend any time with my family.” I haven’t found that to be true at all. At the same time there will be prices to be paid. There is no free lunch.

Right now, write down two things that are very important to you that you want to create. Perhaps it is a rewarding relationship, doubling the size of your business, a certain size waistline, or making a huge, positive difference in your community.

Ask yourself: How much time will this take? How uncomfortable will I need to allow myself to be? How much money will it take?

Now, tell the truth about what you are willing to pay to get that. There will be prices you are unwilling to pay. That’s fine, but state clearly what you ARE willing to pay and begin to build up your willingness to pay the price. This will put you in elite company and is a giant step to achieving your result.

TAKEAWAY!
Leaders change the situation, so even after they leave, things are different than when they arrived.

Action Step#1

List 10 prices you THINK you will have to pay to reach your goal for this year. Are there any you are unwilling to pay? Interview someone who has made that level of success you are aiming for and ask that person what prices he or she paid?

Did you have any false assumptions? Now, list 10 prices you are paying for being at the level of your business you are currently at, instead of the higher level of your goal. Identify at least one price you are unwilling to continue paying.

An Example

I have a friend in a network marketing company who has not achieved the top income designation, but has sat at the second highest level for a couple years. When I asked her what it was costing to not achieve the highest level, she replied “not much.” (This was why she was still #2.)

I had to press a little to get her to truly examine the real prices, but the price that caused her to move into action was when I asked her how many families were suffering because other networkers weren’t going for the top level because my friend hadn’t made it yet and everyone saw her as “the leader.” She recognized that she was holding them back.

Action Step #2
Go back to any goal you have failed at. Now, make a commitment not to stop until you have completed it. This will build your quotient of being willing to pay the price.

An Example

There is an exercise in one of our seminars called Mount Everest. Students pick a task and must demonstrate 100 percent commitment. This is an incredibly intense exercise. It sometimes takes a couple hours and is often very uncomfortable. There is no back door; you continue until the task is complete.
It becomes an experience for people that acts as a “line in the sand,” where when you say something is going to happen it will happen. It becomes an inner benchmark or reference point they rely on or recall when they hit tough times in the future. Average people, on the other hand, approach things from the “I will do my best” perspective. That is very different from the “I WILL get it done” approach.

The willingness to pay the price is what separates the excellent from the average.

“The most important thing is to be able at any moment to sacrifice who you are for what you could become”
–Charles Dubois